EMEC Completes Tidal, Hydrogen and Battery Demonstration

A world-first demonstration combining tidal power, battery storage, and hydrogen production has been completed at the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) in Orkney, Scotland.

The demonstration successfully integrated three technologies – Orbital Marine Power’s O2 tidal turbine, vanadium flow batteries supplied by Invinity Energy Systems, and an ITM Power 670 kW electrolyser, at EMEC’s onshore site on the island of Eday.

Multiple energy flow scenarios were trialed. During high generation periods, power from the O2 was used to charge the battery system, supply electricity directly to the electrolyser and export power to the grid. When tidal generation was low, the battery system discharged power to the electrolyser to keep the electrolyser operating.

This approach effectively smoothed out the cyclical nature of tidal energy, enabling on-demand electricity to power the electrolyser for hydrogen production. In addition, battery power was used to support operations at EMEC’s onshore Caldale site.

This is the first time globally that tidal power, vanadium flow battery storage, and hydrogen production technologies have been integrated into a single energy system.

The demonstration was part of the Interreg North-West Europe funded project, ITEG, which explored how tidal and hydrogen production could be combined as a solution in coastal areas to overcome grid constraints. It has also been supported with funding from Scottish Government via Highlands and Islands Enterprise, and by the EU-funded FORWARD2030 project which has completed detailed monitoring study into how to optimize the integration of tidal energy and battery storage with hydrogen and other offtake routes.